Dispenser for perforate strip material



July 22, 1969 R. J. CONDY 3,455,854

DISPENSER FOR PERFORATE STRIP MATERIAL I Filed July 12, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 [4/ Q V9 3 F I TAEEWOR F I [5-- 2 B05657 J. CONDV BY sa/ mfl y 2, 1969 R. J. CONDY 3,456,854

I DISPENSER FOR PERFORATE STRIP MATERIAL Filed July 12, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ROM/W J 60M) United States Patent 3,456,854 DISPENSER FOR PERFORATE STRIP MATERIAL Robert J. Condy, 1621 Los Padres, Santa Clara, Calif. 95050 Filed July 12, 1967, Ser. No. 652,902 Int. Cl. B65h 35/10 U.S. Cl. 225-11 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser for perforated strip material such as trading stamps, having a locked compartment for the roll of stamps and a dispensing drive roller with pins to engage the perforations. The drive roller is connected to a register to indicate the number of stamps dispensed, and to a drive gear train leading to a telephone-type dial. Two pawl mechanisms engage a ratchet attached to the dial, one preventing reverse movement and the other actuated by a finger-stop lever to lock the dial and mechanism against forward motion. A release button unlocks the dial for forward motion when so desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to a dispenser for perforate strip material, and more particularly to a device for comveniently and rapidly dispensing a desired amount of paper premium material, such as trading stamps, while maintaining the stock of premium material secure against pilferage.

Such trading stamps are dispensed in rapid-fire fashion at the cashier of many large retailers such as supermarkets and gasoline stations. Time saved in this operation is valuable from two standpoints: one in increasing the volume of business done per cashier man-hour, and two, in increasing customer goodwill by providing rapid service. From both standpoints, rapid, accurate dispensing of the stamps is a monetary advantage to the retailer.

Being a medium of exchange themselves, trading stamps are a commodity readily subject to pilferage. Moreover, the businesses which dispense them are often of the low profit-margin, high-volume type, so that even minor pilferage cuts sharply into the profit received. Hence it becomes of considerable importance to provide security against theft in the stamp dispenser.

One of the most convenient bulk forms for the stock of trading stamps is a roll, several stamps wide and several thousand stamps long. Dispensers have been built for rolls of trading stamps, but such dispensers have suffered from a number of problems, both in convenience and security against theft.

For example, in some prior art dispensers the stamps were stripped from the roll by being passed between two friction rollers, with one of the rollers being driven by a dial mechanism. Such an arrangement is inconvenient, as there is little assurance that the strip of stamps will always be advanced in an exact increment to bring a transverse row of perforations exactly in register with the lip against which the strip of stamps is torn off. Also, in such devices tension applied to the dispensed portion of the strip to tear it off had a tendency to pull off a greater length of stamps. If the cashiers attention must be devoted to bringing the stamp strip into exact register with the cutting lip, valuable time is lost.

Previous roll stamp dispensers also suffered from the disadvantage that a dishonest customer could grasp the protruding end of the stamp strip while the cashiers attention was diverted, and strip off more stamps. Moreover, a pilfering employee could remove a few stamps without being detected, as the dispensers either lacked registering counters to tally the number of stamps dispensed, or if such counters were present, they were Patented July 22, 1969 easily defeated and stamps could be removed without registering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The dispenser of the present invention is provided with a finger-engageab'le rotary member for maximum convenience and accuracy in selecting and dispensing the proper amount of stamps. The finger-engageable rotary member actuates a ratchet wheel, and one pawl is urged into contact with the ratchet wheel to prevent a backward motion of the dial. Another pawl is actuated into contact with the ratchet wheel by contact of the users finger with the finger stop to lock the fiuger-engageable rotary member against further forward rotation. A lock mechanism locks the second pawl into its engagement with the ratchet wheel, so that the rotary member remains locked after removal of finger pressure from the finger stop.

A gear train transfers motion of the finger-engageable rotary member to a toothed roller member which positively engages the perforations of the stamp roll to dispense an accurate length of stamp strip. The increments between finger holes are of such size and the ratios of the gear train so chosen that advancing the finger-engageable rotary member one increment between finger holes causes an integral number of stamps to be rolled out by the toothed roller member. Thus the dispensing is always halted with a transverse row of perforations in registration with the tear-01f lip for the greater convenience, speed and accuracy for dispensing.

As the mechanism is locked against movement in either direction, registry is maintained while the stamps are torn off, and no additional length of stamp strip is dispensed while the strip is torn. Moreover, the locking action prevents surreptitious stripping off of additional stamps. A release button unlocks the second pawl, so that stamps may be dispensed for the next customer.

A register counter driven by the gear train records the number of stamps dispensed. Due to the positive engagement of the teeth of the roller with the stamp strip, the counter cannot be readily defeated. The housing containing the stamp roll and the toothed roller is lockable so that the stamps may not be taken in bulk or disengaged from the toothed roller so as not to register on the counter.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for trading stamps and the like which dispenses stamps rapidly, accurately and conveniently.

It is a further principal object of the present invention is to provide trading stamp dispenser having increased security against pilferage.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a trading stamp dispenser or the like which is simple, weatherproof and rugged in construction.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser of the character described which reduces waste and spoilage of stamps while saving the cashiers time.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification progresses, and the new and useful features thereof will be fully set forth in the claims attached hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The preferred form of the present invention is illustrated in the drawings attached to and forming a part of this specification, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser taken from the front side;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dispenser taken approximately along the plane of lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the dispenser taken approximately along the plane of lines 3-3 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the dispenser taken approximately along the plane of lines 4-4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dispenser taken approximatley along the plane of lines 55 of FIGURE 4.

While only the preferred form of the invention has been here illustrated, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims appended hereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The dispenser 11 of the present invention is adapted to dispense a continuous strip of paper 12 having transverse rows of perforations 13 preformed therein. The dispenser 11 comprises a housing 14 for containing the strip 12 and having a slot 16 therein for passing one end of t e strip 12 from the interior to the exterior of the housing 14, a roller member 17 disposed in the housing 14 adjacent to the slot 16 and having teeth 18 thereon for engaging the perforations in the strip 12, and a motive means 19 engaged with the roller member 17 and operative to advance the roller member 17 in increments to dispense a desired controlled length of the paper strip 12.

The motive means 19 includes a finger-engageable rotary member 21 calibrated to correspond to the desired increments of the paper strip 12 and operative upon rotation to cause rotation of the roller member 17, a ratchet 22 coupled to the rotary member 21, a finger stop 23 disposed adjacent the rotary member 21 so as to be engaged by the finger moving the rotary member 21 upon completion of the forward rotation of the rotary member 21, a pawl 24 coupled to the finger stop 23 for actuation by finger stop 23 into engagement with the ratchet 22 to prevent further forward rotation of the rotary member 21 and the motive means 19, and a release mechanism 26 for selectively disengaging the pawl 24 from the ratchet 22.

The motive means 19 also includes a lock mechanism consisting of a lock bar 27 urged by gravity into a V-slot 28 in one side of the pawl 24 when the pawl 24 is moved toward the ratchet 22 by finger pressure against the finger stop 23. A spring 29 urges the pawl 24 away from the ratchet 22. The release mechanism 26 includes a release button 31 located adjacent to the rotary member 21 and the finger stop 23 and a spring member 32 biased away from the lock bar 27 and urged toward the lock bar 27 by depression of the release button 31. The distal end of the spring member 32 is bent at an angle toward the front of the dispenser 11, so that when the distal end is depressed by the release button 31 it operates to wedge the lock bar 27 upward, out of the V-slot 28, thereby releasing the pawl 24 from the ratchet 22. The lock bar 27 pivots about a pin 33, and the pawl 24 is supported for pivotal motion on a shaft 34. The pin 33 and the shaft 34 are mounted on an interior wall 36, forming part of the housing 14. The rotary member 21 and the ratchet 22 are likewise mounted on a common shaft 37 which is in turn mounted on the interior wall 36.

Also attached to the shaft 37 is a drive gear 38, which meshes with an idler gear 39. The idler gear 39, in turn, meshes with a drive gear 41, and also with a second idler gear 42. The second idler gear 42 meshes in turn with another drive gear 43. Drive gears 41 and 43 are mounted on shafts 44 and 46, respectively, which pass through the interior wall 36. On the rear side of the interior wall 36, the roller member 17 is mounted on the shaft 44 for rotation thereby, and a visible tallying counter 47 is driven by the shaft 46. The counter 47 is visible through an aperture 48 in the housing 14, which may be covered by a glass or plastic pane or lens as desired.

A second pawl member 49 engages the ratchet 22 to prevent reverse motion (counterclockwise as seen in FIG- URE 2) of the ratchet 22 and of the entire motive means through the gear train composed of the gears 38 through 43. The pawl 49 is formed of spring material, and serves to keep the dispensing mechanism locked in the reverse direction while the first pawl 24 prevents forward motion, to ensure precise registry of the transverse row of perforations 13 with the edge of the slot 16. In this manner, accidental brushing of the dial, such as might occur in dragging the finger out of the finger hole in the rotary member 21, is prevented from drawing the dispensed length of stamps somewhat back into the housing 14 and ruining the desirable precise registry of the stamps with the slot 16. The second pawl 49 also increases the security of the dispenser 11 by preventing the tallying counter 47 from being set back to conceal pilferage, even by one having access to the stamp compartment and the roller member 17, without completely disassembling the dispenser.

The finger-engageable rotary member 21 is here shown as a telephone-type dial having a number of finger holes 51 around its circumference. The finger-engageable member 21 could also be formed as a continuous belt formed of flattened links each having a finger hole therein, with appropriate right-angle gearing to drive the gear 38. The rotary member 21, unlike a telephone dial, has a continuous circle of finger holes 51, and rotates in one direction only, due to the pawl 49. The rotary member 21 and the finger stop 23 are located on the front side of a panel 52 which conceals and protects the drive mechanism shown in FIGURE 2. The release button is also mounted to project through the panel 52 near the finger stop 23, so that it may be conveniently and yet unobtrusively tripped by the cashier to begin dispensing stamps.

Also mounted on the panel 52 are indicia 53 corresponding to desired amounts of stamps to be dispensed. In the example here shown, the roll of stamps is five stamps wide, and the stamps are assumed to be given one stamp for each 10 cents of purchase. The indicia are therefore in SO-cent increments, and the cashier simply selects the one nearest to the amount of purchase, inserts his finger in the indicated finger hole 51, and rotates the dial around to the finger stop 23, whereupon it looks and the stamps may be torn off precisely along the transverse line of perforation 13. It should be appreciated that the example here given, with the 5-stamp wide roll and 50- cent increments are illustrative, and that it is entirely within the spirit and contemplation of this invention to provide whatever width of stamp strip, denomination of stamp, and increments of value on the dial as are desired.

The housing 14 includes a rear door 54 giving access to the stamp compartment 59 which holds the bulk supply of stamps for dispensing. The rear door 54 is hinged about a pivot 62. The housing 14 also includes a top lid 57 hinged along the top front edge of the dispenser 11 by pins 63. The lid 57 is held closed by a pin 64 mounted on the door 54, which mates with a socket 66 mounted on the top lid. Providing such a hinged top lid greatly simplifies the loading of the dispenser.

A portion 58 of the side wall of the dispenser above the slot 16 is separated from the remainder of the side wall by a vertical slot 67 extending from the slot 16 to the top edge of the side of the housing 14, and attached to the top lid 57. Thus the opening of the top lid 57 fully bares the roller member 17 for greater ease of threading the strip 12 onto it. The lowermost portion of the portion 58 of the side wall is formed into a lip 68 having its edge precisely in register with the location of the transverse row of perforations 13 at the point at which the finger stop 23 causes the mechanism to lock. Thus the stamp strip may be neatly and accurately torn off against the lip 68.

As here shown, the bulk form of the stamp strip is a roll 61, but other bulk forms, such as a Z-formed stack, would be equally appropriate. The roll of stamps 61 is supported within the stamp compartment 59 on a spindle 69 and is held in alignment with the row of teeth 18 on the roller member 17 by a spiral compression spring 71 mounted on the door 54. An idler spindle 73 guides the stamp strip along the way to the roller member 17 so that the maximum contact is obtained between the roller member 17 and the stamp strip 12, to prevent any slippage. The spindle 69 and the idler spindle 73 are mounted on shafts 72 and 74, respectively, attached to the interior wall 36.

Spring leaf members 76 are attached to the side portion 58 and bear upon the stamp strip 12 between rows of teeth 18 as the strip 12 passes around the circumference of the roller member 17 to hold the stamp strip 12 in engagement with the roller 17 and its teeth 18. The roller member 17 is formed with circumferential grooves 77, and a fingered strip 78 is mounted on the lower edge of the slot 16 with the fingers projecting into the grooves 77 to ensure release of the stamp strip 12 from the circumference of the roller member 17. An inverted V-slot having undercut edges as shown at 81 is formed in the outside wall of the housing 14 on the side opposite the stamp dispensing slot and register. This inverted V-slot 79 allows the dispenser 11 to be mounted firmly and yet be readily demountable for safekeeping or repair.

The convenience of operation of the dispenser of the present invention, in that the stamps are always brought to exact register for proper tearotf along the perforation line against the tearoif lip 68, has been noted above. The dispenser provides increased security as well as the mechanism always locks at the end of each dispensing, and the customer may not note the necessity of tripping the release button to dispense again, especially as the release button is close to the dial so that the cashiers movement tripping it is unobtrusive. Moreover, the stamps are firmly locked into contact with the dispensing roller, and that in turn is gearer to the tallying counter, so that stamps may not be dispensed without being registered, and the tallying counter may not be readily set back to conceal pilferage. In exposed locations such as gasoline stations, the added security of automatically locking after each dispensing, without requiring afiirmative action by the cashier, such as locking with a key, is highly desirable, as the cashier is not always in close proximity to the dis penser. It should also be noted that the dispenser is rugged and weatherproof in its construction, features of added importance in exposed locations such as service stations. The bulk supply of stamps is scheduled from the weather, as only the dispensed portion passes out of the housing 14.

The roller member is set well within the housing 14, and the spring leaf members 76 and the idler spindle 73 assure firm engagement of the stamp strip 12 with the roller member 17 so that the dispenser security may not be readily defeated by disengaging the strip from the roller and pulling it out through the slot 16. It should also be noted that due to the secure design of the stamp compartment 59, only persons with a key to the lock 56 may remove stamps without having the removal of stamps register on the tallying counter 47. Even then, the tallying counter may not be readily reset.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that a dispenser has been provided for perforate strip material such as trading stamps which is rapid, accurate and convenient, and reduces waste and spoilage of stamps. At the same time, the dispenser provides increased security against pilferage, by customers, employees, and outsiders, and is of simple, rugged, and weatherproof construction.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for a continuous strip of paper having transverse rows of perforations preformed therein, comprising a housing for containing the strip and having a slot therein for passing one end of the strip from the interior to the exterior of said housing,

a roller member disposed within said housing adjacent to said slot and having teeth thereon for engaging the perforations in the strip, and

motive means engaged with said roller member and operative to advance said roller member in increments to dispense a desired controlled length of said paper strip, said motive means comprising a finger-engageable rotary member calibrated to correspond to the desired increments of the paper strip and operative upon rotation to cause rotation of said roller member,

a ratchet coupled to said rotary member,

a finger stop disposed adjacent said rotary member so as to be engaged by the finger moving said rotary member upon completion of the forward rotation of said rotary member,

a pawl coupled to said finger stop for actuation thereby into engagement with said ratchet to prevent further forward rotation of said rotary member and motive means, and

a release mechanism for selectively disengaging said pawl from said ratchet.

2. A dispenser as described in claim 1, and wherein said motive means includes a lock mechanism for selectively retaining said pawl in engagement with said ratchet and a release button operative to disengage said lock mechanism to release said pawl from said ratchet.

3. A dispenser as described in claim 1, and wherein a tallying counter is coupled to said roller member for visually indicating the cumulative amount of perforated strip dispensed.

4. A dispenser as described in claim 3, and wherein a second pawl is provided which is spring-urged into engagement with said ratchet to prevent reverse rotation of said rotary member and roller member.

5. A dispenser as described in claim 1 and wherein said rotary member is a dial of configuration similar to a telephone dial.

6. A dispenser as described in claim 2 and wherein one edge of said slot is formed into a lip so positioned as to be adjacent to a transverse row of perforations at the points in the rotation of said roller member at which the motive means locks against forward rotation, whereby the paper strip may be accurately torn along the transverse row of perforations by manual tension applied to the dispensed portion of the strip without causing the roller member to rotate further and dispense additional paper strip.

7. A dispenser as described in claim 3 and wherein said housing is provided with an access door allowing access to the roll of paper strip, and said door is provided with a lock preventing unauthorized access to the interior of said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,601,062 6/1952 Singer 22511 X 2,712,442 7/ 1955 Hanson 22511 X 3,061,162 10/1962 Adams 226129 X 3,165,248 1/1965 Jones 22516 3,266,693 8/1966 Hughes 226129 3,145,890 8/ 1964 Gordon et al 83242 X ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner FRANK T. YOST, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

